Pet toys come in many varieties, designed for different purposes and the wide ranges of characteristics between and among pets. Dog breeds for example vary widely in size, activity level, chewing habits, and play style. Pet toys include bones, balls, tug toys, training aids, squeaky toys, discs and frisbees, plush toys, sticks, among others.
Toys serve different purposes. Puppies, for instance, need toys they can chew on when they are teething because their gums and jaws become very sore and chewing on things provides them relief. Playing with different toys also encourages exercise, which benefits a pet's overall health. Toys also stimulate pets' minds, discourage problem behavior resulting from boredom and excess energy, and promote dental health.
In the course of play, toys often become damaged or destroyed, either through normal wear and tear or purposeful action by a pet, necessitating the purchase of replacement toys.
Tug of war (also known as war of tug, tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, tug rope or tugging war) in the context of pets is a recreational activity that directly pits a pet and its owner against each other in a test of strength: participants pull on opposite ends of an object, the goal being, in some cases, to take the rope from the other participant, and, in others, simply to exercise the pet in a way that is interactive and entertaining for pet and owner. The goal is often exercise because pet and pet-owner are often unable to outright “win” against each other, leading to an unsatisfying stalemate with no clear outcome unless pet or owner forfeits by letting go of their respective end of the object. It can be assumed that a pet is happiest when it feels it has won a tug of war legitimately, and probably happier if there is a sensation of making progress in pulling an object or in pulling it apart. A pet owner is happiest when a pet is exercised without damaging or destroying any objects in the course of play.
No product exists which allows a pet and pet owner to engage in a satisfying and productive game of tug of war with a feeling of progression and a clear goal or outcome, can be adjusted to suit different pets, and can be pulled apart without being damaged.
What is desired is an article of recreational equipment which can be repeatedly pulled apart without being damaged, allows for discernible progress to be made toward that end over a short period of time by having intermediate states between full attachment and full detachment and providing tangible, visual and audible indications of said progress, can be adjusted to strength levels suitable to different pets, and can be easily and repeatedly reattached after detachment. The present invention provides such an article.